Attachable Music Stand

ABSTRACT

An attachable stand adapted to be mounted to an equipment, the attachable stand comprising a shaft, a platform secured to a first end of the shaft and a first attachment arm secured to a second end of the shaft, the first attachment arm comprising a connector defining an opening adapted to receive the equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/207,602, entitled “MALLET INSTRUMENT MUSIC STAND AND TRAY”, and filed at the United States Patent Office on Aug. 16, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to equipment for holding objects and mounting method thereof, more particularly, attachable music stands.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Music stands are traditionally self-standing structures adapted to be positioned on the floor near a musician. This conventional positioning of the music stand poses several problems for musicians. In particular, traditional music stands occupy a relatively large amount of space and can be inconvenient when larger numbers of musicians are seated next to each other thereby requiring the musicians to space themselves apart appropriately. In the same vein, the large space occupied by the music stands may require musicians to place them further away than desirable in order to accommodate another musician or piece of equipment. In such instances, the music stand or sheet music supported thereby may become difficult to reach.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The shortcomings of the prior art are generally mitigated by an attachable stand adapted to be mounted to an equipment, the attachable stand comprising a shaft, a platform secured to a first end of the shaft, and a first attachment arm secured to a second end of the shaft, the first attachment arm comprising a connector defining an opening adapted to receive the equipment.

According to an aspect of the invention, the connector may comprise first and second surfaces adapted to be pressed against the equipment. The connector may be adjustable to adjust a size of the opening and may comprise one of a clamp, a vice, a clip and a latch. The shaft may further be telescopic.

In another aspect of the invention, the attachable stand may further comprise a second attachment arm, wherein the first and second attachment arms may extend away from the shaft forming an angle between said first and second attachment arms, the shaft may be pivotable to be positioned in a storage configuration wherein the shaft is coplanar with the first and second attachment arms, and the platform may be pivotable to define a plane being parallel to a plane defined by the first and second attachment arms when the shaft is in the storage configuration.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the platform may be configured to hold sheet music, the opening may suitable to receive a backrest of a chair, the platform may be interchangeable and the connector may further comprise padding.

The shortcomings of the prior art are further mitigated by a method of mounting an attachable stand to an equipment, the method comprising positioning an opening of a connector of the attachable stand above the equipment, lowering the connector onto the equipment until the equipment is pressed against a first surface of the connector, and pivoting the connector until the equipment is pressed against a second surface of the connector.

According to an aspect of the invention, the method may further comprise adjusting an angle between first and second attachment arms of the attachable stand and pivoting a shaft of the attachable stand to be coplanar with the first and second attachment arms.

In another aspect of the invention, the method may further comprise adjusting a length of a shaft of the attachable stand and adjusting a size of the opening.

Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front top perspective view of the attachable music stand according to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another front top perspective view of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a rear top perspective view of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is another rear top perspective view of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a side view of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a side view of an arm joint of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the arm joint of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a side view of a connector of the attachable music stand of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A novel attachable music stand will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby. For example, the invention may be further directed to attachable stands for supporting tools, instruments, utensils or any other device for any suitable purpose.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 , an attachable music stand 100 according to the principles of the present invention is illustrated. Broadly, the attachable music stand 100 is adapted to be selectively mounted to a piece of equipment (not shown) and comprises a platform 120, a shaft 140 and attachment arms 160. More specifically, the attachable music stand 100 may be configured to be easily mounted to an instrument or piece of furniture thereby providing a user a desirable positioning of their sheet music.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the platform 120 defines a generally planar surface 122 providing a support for any desirable item such as, but not limited to, sheet music. The platform 120 may further comprise a lip 124 extending substantially orthogonally from the planar surface 122 to provide further support for the item when the platform 120 is angled.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 6 , a first end 142 of the shaft 140 may extend downwardly from the platform 120. In certain embodiments, the platform 120 may be secured to the first end 142 of the shaft 140 by means of a stand joint 130. The stand joint 130 may be articulated to allow the platform 120 to pivot or rotate relative to the shaft 140. The stand joint 130 may comprise a pin joint, a ball joint or any other suitable joint.

The shaft 140 further comprises a second end 144 being opposite to the first end 142 of the shaft. The attachment arms 160 may be secured to the second end 144 of the shaft 140 by means of an arms joint 150. The arms joint 150 may be articulated to allow the arms 160 to pivot or rotate relative to the shaft 140. The arms joint 150 may comprise a pin joint, a ball joint or any other suitable joint.

The attachable music stand 100 comprises first and second attachment arms 160 a, 160 b. Understandably, the attachable music stand 100 may comprise any other suitable number of attachment arms 160. The attachment arms 160 may extend from the arms joint 150 forming an angle α therebetween and defining an opening 162.

Each of the attachment arms 160 may comprise a connector 170 for mounting the attachable music stand 100 to the equipment. The connector 170 may define an opening 172 configured to receive therein the equipment or portion thereof. Referring to FIG. 9 , a connector 170 according to a certain embodiment is illustrated. The connector 170 comprises the opening 172 defined by first and second lateral walls 174, 178 interconnected by an upper wall 176. In use, the attachable music stand 100 may be mounted to a piece of equipment by positioning the connector 170 above the equipment such that the upper wall 176 rests atop the portion of the equipment within the opening 172. As the attachable music stand 100 is released, the center of gravity of said attachable music stand 100 may impel said attachable music stand to pivot about the upper wall 176 until the first lateral wall 174 is in contact with the equipment.

In an exemplary embodiment, the connector 170 may be adapted to mount the attachable music stand 100 to a backrest of a chair (not shown). To that end, each of the attachment arms 160 may be positioned to place their respective connector 170 above the backrest. The connector 170 may thereafter be lowered until the upper wall 176 is rested against a top surface of said backrest. When the attachable music stand 100 is released, each connector 170 may pivot until the first lateral wall 174 is pressed against a side surface of the backrest. The attachable music stand 100 is therefore mounted to the chair until it is lifted therefrom.

In certain embodiments, the angle α between the attachment arms 160 may be adapted to position the connector 170 of each attachment arm 160 such as to receive equipment having various shapes.

In certain embodiments, the connector 170 may comprise padding (not shown) disposed onto the interior surfaces of one or more of the first lateral wall 174 and the upper wall 176. The padding may prevent damage to the connector 170 or the equipment when the attachable music stand 100 is in use.

Understandably, the connector 170 may comprise any other suitable mechanism for mechanically securing an object to a piece of equipment such as, but not limited to, a clamp, a vice, a screw, a clip, a latch, or any other suitable fastener.

In certain embodiments, the attachable music stand 100 may be folded to occupy less volume and therefore be more suitable to be transported. Accordingly, the shaft 140 may be configured to rotate about the arms joint 150 such as to be positioned within the opening 162 and to be coplanar with the attachment arms 160. The platform 120 may further be configured to pivot about the stand joint 130 to similarly be positioned on a plane parallel to the plane defined by the attachment arms 160.

In certain embodiments, the shaft 140 may be telescopic to allow an extension thereof along it's longitudinal axis. Understandably, the telescopic shaft 140 may allow the platform 120 to be selectively positioned at variable lengths away from the attachment arms 160 when the telescopic shaft 140 is extended or retracted. The telescopic shaft 140 may allow a user to position the platform in a more desirable arrangement.

In further embodiments, the stand joint 130 or the shaft 140 may be selectively detachable to allow the installation of interchangeable platforms 120 for different uses. For example, the platform 120 adapted to hold sheet music may be removed and replaced with a platform (not shown) suitable for holding tools, a laptop or utensils.

While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art. 

1. An attachable stand adapted to be mounted to an equipment, the attachable stand comprising: a shaft; a platform secured to a first end of the shaft; and a first attachment arm secured to a second end of the shaft, the first attachment arm comprising a connector defining an opening adapted to receive the equipment.
 2. The attachable stand of claim 1 wherein the connector comprises first and second surfaces adapted to be pressed against the equipment.
 3. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the connector is adjustable to adjust a size of the opening.
 4. The attachable stand of claim 3, wherein the connector comprises one of a clamp, a vice, a clip and a latch.
 5. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the shaft is telescopic.
 6. The attachable stand of claim 1 further comprising a second attachment arm.
 7. The attachable stand of claim 6, wherein the first and second attachment arms extend away from the shaft forming an angle between said first and second attachment arms.
 8. The attachable stand of claim 7, wherein the shaft is pivotable to be positioned in a storage configuration wherein the shaft is coplanar with the first and second attachment arms.
 9. The attachable stand of claim 8, wherein the platform is pivotable to define a plane being parallel to a plane defined by the first and second attachment arms when the shaft is in the storage configuration.
 10. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the platform is configured to hold sheet music.
 11. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the opening is suitable to receive a backrest of a chair.
 12. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the platform is interchangeable.
 13. The attachable stand of claim 1, wherein the connector further comprises padding.
 14. A method of mounting an attachable stand to an equipment, the method comprising: positioning an opening of a connector of the attachable stand above the equipment; lowering the connector onto the equipment until the equipment is pressed against a first surface of the connector; and pivoting the connector until the equipment is pressed against a second surface of the connector.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting an angle between first and second attachment arms of the attachable stand.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising pivoting a shaft of the attachable stand to be coplanar with the first and second attachment arms.
 17. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting a length of a shaft of the attachable stand.
 18. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting a size of the opening. 